Hitchcock said that he used blondes because it is a tradition, and they photograph better in black and white, and because blondes are "a symbol of the heroine." If you feel you've seen a similar film, you probably have: North By Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Saboteur and many more – and those are just the ones by Hitchcock. Later, along with Norman Bates (portrayed by Anthony Perkins), the audience watches Marion undress through a peephole. The film is quintessentially British yet the hero Canadian; it was made at a time when film-makers were experimenting with sound, yet Hitchcock uses silence to heighten the tension. Most of them, even most very good movies, do not improve with age. Catapulted from one humorous quasi-romantic encounter, plot twist, and narrow escape to another, our protagonist searches frantically for a way out and ends up with much more than he could have expected. Oh, but what a disappointment! The sexually frustrating institution of marriage is another major motif present in the film. According to Donat's biography, Hitchcock "accidentally" lost the key after handcuffing him to Carroll at their first rehearsal. When choosing the best of his “wrong man”, there’s no doubt that his 1935 adaptation of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps would at … In The 39 Steps, Hitchcock manifests that through the idea of the police chasing after a wrong man. | The director said that blondes were "a symbol of the heroine". As another reviewer has mentioned, I think this is an example of people giving good reviews simply because they are supposed to and it shows their "Love & Understanding of Fine Cinema." I wondered how would I enjoy an age old film when I rented the DVD of this Magneficient Movie. In suspense, the director tells or shows things to the audience which the characters in the film do not know, and then artfully builds tension around what will happen when the characters finally learn the truth. Nearly every era in Hitchcock's directing career has incredible strengths. In "The 39 Steps" Richard is accused of murdering a spy. In "The Wrong Man" Henry is mistaken for a criminal. A macguffin is a detail which, by inciting curiosity and desire, drives the plot and motivates actions of the characters within the story. I mean a huge disappointment, especially compared to any other Hitchcock film. Cast: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll. And perhaps best of all, in a sign of things to come from the master, it is a whodunnit throughout which we basically know who did it, but not why. Where do I begin to tell you why this movie is such a disappointment? "Mr Memory" Inspiration for Terry Jones of Monty Python fame? Trust and betrayal have been a recurrent theme in several of Alfred Hitchcock's works. Awards Robert Donat’s Nonsense Speech in The 39 Steps. This is proof - if ever it were really needed - that age doesn't really affect a film's quality. If what you want from a thriller is in-yer-face mugging, special effects, noise, a booming soundtrack, gore, nudity and flashy editing, this one is not for you. When the woman he returned home with turns up dead in his flat, Hannay flees London for Scotland, hoping to find a man he believes can clear him. Additionally, two henchmen kidnap Hannay and Pamela pretending to be police. "The Women" and "Stage Door" are maudlin weepfests, "Birth Of A Nation" and "Gone With The Wind" enjoy their greatest popularity with the white-sheet crowd. Alfred Hitchcock always preferred blondes. The 39 Steps was my first Hitchcock film. After a few hours, during which the director was said to have become mawkishly obsessed with how the pair would deal with bathroom visits, Hitchcock "found" the key. Similarly, Psycho begins with the camera moving toward a hotel-room window, through which the audience is introduced to Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and her divorced boyfriend Sam Loomis, played by John Gavin. Hitchcock had a dramatic preference for blonde women, stating that the audience would be more suspicious of a brunette. What makes it even more extraordinary is that it virtually totally alters the source material (John Buchan's novel), yet still comes across as a work of ingenuity. Some people seem to regard 'The 39 Steps' as a practice run for Hitch's later 'North By Northwest', but I prefer the earlier movie. Recommended. In "The Wrong Man," Manny, an ordinary man, is arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Hitchcock’s films enacted “rituals of defilement” of women that evoked his fear of women and unconsciously defended against that fear by punishing and even killing them. An amazing commercial eye without detracting from the poetry. I am truly shocked this movie has an 8 rating... Hitchcock's classic film with exciting pursuits and awesome protagonists. It's got a MacGuffin, sort of (or rather the title itself is something that doesn't even matter ultimately in what it *really* means), it's got a "wrong man" scenario where the lead character is chased as a suspect with spies and daring-do escapes, and the interaction between a classy leading man (here Robert Donat) and a leading lady (here, though for a shorter time, Madeline Carroll) up to par with him as a screen presence. 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